cheolsoo • The Society of The Shadow / Eng ver.

19

"Hey, have you seen the news in Caratland Times? " Reina, the pigtailed girl sitting behind Jeonghan, tapped his shoulder. Her freckles crinkled as she smiled, and the shoulders of her navy-blue uniform were dotted with white cat hair.

"What?" Jeonghan turned to her with a tired smile, rubbing his eyes. "Sorry, Reina. I didn't get much sleep. What's going on?"

"I understand. I heard Joshua hasn't been well lately, so you've been looking after him." Reina fumbled with her pigtails, her expression uncertain. "In the paper, they mentioned a few of the Duke's followers were caught alive on Coral Street."

"A few?"

"Yeah, but they didn't reveal how many."

Jeonghan's brow creased. "What's going to happen to them?"

Reina shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe you should ask the Prince?"

"Why would I ask the Prince?"

She gave him a teasing grin. "Well, everyone says you and the Prince are a couple. Isn't that true?"

Jeonghan's expression tightened, a faint frown forming.

"Oh! The Prince is here." Reina's voice sparkled with excitement, her eyes practically alight as if a gift had just fallen into her lap. She turned to Jeonghan with an eager look that only deepened his annoyance.

"I'm not asking him," he replied firmly.

Reina's smile faded into a pout.

Mingyu dropped into the seat beside Jeonghan, the shadows of sleepless nights etched softly under his eyes. He was fresh from two nights spent by Joshua's side, caught in worry's grasp for Seungcheol, and even after finally slipping back into his own bed, falling asleep had not been easy. He'd wandered into his dorm kitchen, brewing a lonely cup of tea in the midnight quiet, hoping it might calm the storm enough to let him drift. Today, he wore the weariness like a threadbare sweater, frayed but holding.

"I thought you'd take the day off," Jeonghan murmured, his gaze filled with warm affection and quiet concern.

Mingyu's hand lingered at the back of Jeonghan's neck, his fingers tracing slow, soothing circles. It was a motion so familiar, so comforting, that it felt like second nature. The weight of all the eyes on them didn't reach him-not in that moment. Instead, his attention remained fixed on Jeonghan.

"Seungcheol called," Mingyu murmured, his voice soft, almost like a secret. He leaned in slightly as he spoke. "The Grand Duke... had grounded Seungcheol at home. He'll try to come back soon... at least, I hope so."

Jeonghan closed his eyes for a moment, feeling Mingyu's fingers massage the back of his neck. "Grounded sounds bad," he said quietly, "But at least he didn't disappear. I think he needs some time."

Mingyu nodded, his hand lingering for a moment longer before pulling away. The silence between them felt comfortable like they both understood what the other needed without saying it.

Just then, the History teacher walked in, and the class fell into a sudden hush. No more sly glances, no more whispers. Everything became perfectly ordered, and the students' attention sharply focused on the lesson ahead.

Mingyu and Jeonghan finished their history class, exchanging brief looks before parting ways. Jeonghan had Warrior's spell practice, while Mingyu headed off to his Explorer's Strategy Building class. They promised to meet later in the cafeteria with Minghao and Jihoon.

.

The morning at Serene Hightower unfolded like any other-calm and routine-but for Jeonghan, it felt incomplete. There was an emptiness he couldn't shake. He missed the days running down the hallways with Joshua, laughing and teasing each other. He missed the quiet moments they shared on the benches in the schoolyard, and even the heated arguments during spell practice.